WPIAL Plays of the Week – Week Twelve 2016

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, November 22, 2016 | 6:57 PM

The dream of every team when the season kicked off nearly three months ago was to claim the WPIAL Championship. For four of those teams, that dream became a reality at Heinz Field. Two of the title contests came down to the final plays, while the other two matchups were largely decided by key moments in the first half. In Class 5A, a gutsy call to go for a two-point conversion gave the Indians the W, in 3A, the Tigers sealed the victory with a late TD run, while Central Catholic used a punt return to take command in the first half of the 6A game, and Thomas Jefferson’s defense tilted the field in the Jags favor late in the second quarter in 4A. Here are the biggest plays of Championship Friday at Heinz Field.

1 West Allegheny 38, McKeesport 37

Sometimes title games do not live up to expectations, but the 5A Championship this year not only exceeded expectations, but proved to be one of the most thrilling games in WPIAL history. McKeesport appeared to have claimed the championship on multiple occasions, but penalties against the Tigers allowed West Allegheny additional opportunities. After a field goal with no time remaining sent the contest to overtime, the Tigers offense scored first to go ahead by seven. West Allegheny also produced a touchdown on its opportunity, but Indians’ coach Bob Palko elected to go for the win instead of a tie. On the subsequent two-point conversion attempt, West Allegheny quarterback Nick Ross rolled to the right, and unable to find a target, called his own number. Ross crossed the goal line to give the Indians the conversion and the title.

MSA Sports’ Sean Meyers and James Dotson have the call on the winning play that gave the Indians their eighth WPIAL Championship:

2. Beaver Falls 35, Aliquippa 22

A crushing defeat at the hands of Aliquippa in the first week of the season had motivated the Tigers for the remainder of the 2016 campaign, and Beaver Falls finally got it’s chance at redemption at Heinz Field. In the rematch, the Tigers held the upper hand throughout the contest, but a furious rally by the Quips made for tense moments on the BF sidelines. Clinging to a one-score edge in the final minutes, however, Beaver Falls sealed the deal on a 49-yard run by Derrell Carter.

MSA Sports’ Andy Stanko and Kyle Dawson detail the long run that put the bow on the Class 3A championship effort by the Tigers:

3. Central Catholic 42, Seneca Valley 7

Although Central Catholic was heavily favored to prevail in the 6A title game, the Raiders proved competitive against the Vikings for the majority of the first half. Although the yardage totals were nearly equal between the teams, however, Central Catholic gained the lead because of incredible special teams play. To that point, the Vikings scored twice on returns, the first of which came on a jaw-dropping 66-yard punt return by Justice Evans midway through the second quarter.

MSA Sports’ Lanny Frattare and Bob Orkwis provide the audio for Evans’ game-changing return, which gave Central Catholic the spark it needed to claim another title:

4. Thomas Jefferson 42, New Castle 0

Although the 4A Championship between Thomas Jefferson and New Castle eventually turned into a lopsided affair, the outcome was still in doubt late in the first half. New Castle trailed by just one score in the closing minute, and the Red Hurricane hoped to engineer a scoring drive before the halftime. However, the defense came up big for the Jaguars, as defensive lineman Noah Palmer tipped a Geno Stone pass, and corralled it for a 20-yard interception return. Palmer’s score gave Thomas Jefferson a 14-0 edge, and the Jags carried that momentum into the locker room, rolling in the second half to the title.

MSA Sports’ Josh Rowntree and Kevin Zielmanski have the call of the game-changing defensive play that helped guide the Jaguars to their second-straight championship: